An Assembly
Resolutionurging Congress to
pass the "Paycheck Fairness Act."

Whereas, More than 40 years ago, President John F.
Kennedy signed the "Equal Pay Act" (EPA) into law, making it illegal
for employers to pay unequal wages to men and women who perform substantially
equal work; the following year, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was
enacted, making it illegal to discriminate, including in wages and pay, on the
basis of sex, race, color, religion, and national origin; at the time of the
EPA's passage in 1963, women earned merely 59 cents to every dollar earned by
men; and

Whereas, Although enforcement of the EPA as well as other
civil rights laws have helped to narrow the gender income gap, significant
male-female income differences remain today, which is of particular concern in
light of the present day economy; and

Whereas, The general population has suffered because of
the economic downturn, women have had a greater loss of jobs and a greater loss
in wages than men during this time; and

Whereas, The gender income gap refers to the ratio of
female to male median yearly earnings among full-time, year-round workers; in
2009, United States Census Bureau data showed that women made 77 cents on every
dollar earned by men, meaning female full-time, year-round workers earned 23%
less then their male counterparts; and

Whereas, Minority women fare significantly worse with
respect to the gender income gap; the median earnings for African American and
Hispanic women working full-time, year-round is far less compared to their white,
non-Hispanic male counterparts; and

Whereas, The gender income gap also exists across a wide
spectrum of occupations and education levels; in 2009, the largest income gap between
men and women was found in high paying occupations, such as health care
professionals and those relating to financial activities, while in other
occupations, such as in the construction industry and occupations relating to
computer science and mathematics, the gap was narrower; although graduation
from high school helps to boost a woman's median income, the median income for
a man with a high school diploma is markedly higher than those of women who
also graduate with a high school degree; studies have also shown that women who
graduate from college with a bachelor's degree earn far less than their male
colleagues just one year out of college, and the pay gap widens 10 years after
graduation; and

Whereas, Pay inequity also follows women into retirement,
jeopardizing their economic security once they leave the workforce; of the
multiple sources of income Americans rely on later in life, many are directly
linked to a person's career-long earnings, including Social Security and
pension benefits; for example, in 2009, an older woman's Social Security
benefits were 71% of an older man's, and income from public and private
pensions based on a woman's work history was 60% and 48% of a man's pension
income, respectively; and

Whereas, Studies have shown that even when all relevant
career and family attributes are taken into account, there is still an
unexplained gap in men's and women's earnings which can be attributed to gender
discrimination; and

Whereas, Women in New Jersey are increasingly responsible
for the economic security of their families, with nearly 60% of working mothers
bringing in more than a quarter of their families' income; 21% of women-headed
households in the State live below the federal poverty level; on average, a
woman working full time, year-round in the State is paid $44,166, while her
male counterpart earns $57,738; this means that at 76%, New Jersey has a female
to male earnings ratio lower than the national ratio of 77%; and

Whereas, As a group, full-time working women in New
Jersey lose approximately $15,781,630,040 each year due to the gender income
gap; if the gap were eliminated, women in this State and their families would have
more money for groceries, mortgage, rent, and utilities payments, and family
health insurance premiums; the extra wages would provide critical income for
over 88,000 families living in poverty; and

Whereas, In order to expand the scope of the EPA and address
the gender income gap in the United States, the "Paycheck Fairness Act"
was originally introduced in Congress in 2008 and would make it easier for
those who are targets of wage discrimination to address the issue, allowing
employees to disclose salary information with co-workers despite workplace
rules prohibiting such disclosure; and

Whereas, This legislation also would require employers to
prove that any wage discrepancies are based on legitimate, job-related
requirements, and specific characteristics of the position not related to gender,
prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who raise work parity
issues, create a negotiation skills training program for women and girls,
provide assistance to small businesses to help with equal pay practices, and
enhance the United States Department of Labor's and the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission's abilities to investigate and enforce pay discrimination
laws; and

Whereas, In 2009, although the House of Representatives
passed the "Paycheck Fairness Act," the Senate failed to do so and the
bill was reintroduced in both houses of Congress in April of 2011; in the 2012
State of the Union Address, President Obama encouraged the Senate to pass the "Paycheck
Fairness Act" to help "ensure that men and women who do equal work
receive the equal pay that they and their families deserve"; and

Whereas, In order to combat the persistent income gap that
is attributable to systemic gender discrimination, provide women with more
tools to achieve pay equity in the workplace, and assist the two-thirds of
American families who rely on a woman's wages as a significant portion of their
incomes achieve economic security, Congress is urged to pass the "Paycheck
Fairness Act"; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. The General Assembly urges
the United States Congress to pass the "Paycheck Fairness Act" in
order to combat the persistent income gap that is attributable to systemic gender
discrimination, provide women with more tools to achieve pay equity in the
workplace, and assist the two-thirds of American families who rely on a woman's
wages as a significant portion of their income achieve economic security.

2. Duly authenticated copies
of this resolution, signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested
by the Clerk of the General Assembly, shall be transmitted to the President of
the United States, the White House Council on Women and Girls, the United
States Department of Labor, and every member of the New Jersey Congressional
delegation.

STATEMENT

This resolution urges the
United States Congress to pass the "Paycheck Fairness Act" in order
to combat the persistent income gap that is attributable to systemic gender discrimination,
provide women with more tools to achieve pay equity in the workplace, and assist
the two-thirds of American families who rely on a woman's wages as a
significant portion of their income achieve economic security.